Ignis Fatuus
by kwater
Summary: On and On we go, closer and closer you come. a look over its shoulder showed the couple foolishly following.  Sam and Dean investigate disapearances at a park.
1. Chapter 1

"Now, Al I think it's time to head back it's getting awfully dark." Myrtle Raegis peered towards the dark shape of her husband. They had been walking in the Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge for over an hour now. Al was an avid bird watcher and the couple often spent their Sundays at different preserves all over the state.

Only on this Sunday, they'd arrived later than expected and had walked farther than they should have. At their age, they rarely lived by a clock. Instead they came and went as they pleased. They were snowbirds, spending the winters in Florida and the summers in the northeast. The camper they called home was waiting for them in the parking lot.

"Ok, Ok Myrtle, let's head back. I just can't believe I saw a red breasted warbler, what a find." Al said putting away his sketch book and rubbing his hands in anticipation. Al walked towards his wife of 42 years and noticed for the first time just how dark it had gotten. As he moved towards the path, he found himself slightly confused by landscape surrounding him.

"You do know the way back right, Al?" Myrtle questioned moving towards her husband's side.

Al felt a tremor of doubt, but nodded decidedly. Myrtle was a good egg about his bird watching, but Al knew that if he managed to get them lost he would never hear the end of it. "Of course, this way." Al answered decisively.

They walked along the dark path for a while, Al finally taking Myrtle's hand in his to prevent her from tripping. It was then that he saw the light, faint and still fairly far away he breathed a sigh of relief. Al and Myrtle continued moving towards the light and Al's only thought was to hope that the camper hadn't been locked in the lot for the evening.

"Al, does that light seem strange to you?" Myrtle asked with an uneasy feeling. "Now a days people will stab you as soon as look at you. Maybe it's a psycho." Myrtle asked her hand tightening almost painfully around Al's hand.

Al patted Myrtle's hand a suppressed his urge to laugh. "No Dear I'm sure it's the ranger looking for us. He probably saw the camper and is here to escort us out." Al continued to move confidently towards the light, he found it was easier to focus on it than to try and keep track of his surroundings.

The elderly couple moved through the night, deeper and deeper into the park they followed the glowing light

"On and On we go, closer and closer you come." a small singsong voice sang. Its glowing fingers swinging from its side. "On and On we go, closer and closer you come." a look over its shoulder showed the couple foolishly following. "On and On we go, closer an closer you come" The creature let loose with a high pitched squeal.

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Sam eased his long frame under the table, stretching as best he could. The Winchester brothers had pulled in only moments ago and Sam was desperate for some coffee. As the waitress approached Sam ordered two coffees and a short stack of pancakes with bacon for both men.

Just then Sam noticed Dean moving towards him, Dean walked with a cocky grin and was checking out the other patrons. Sam shook his head with a slight smile; his big brother had never been known for his subtly.

Dean slid into the booth across from Sammy and pulled his coffee towards him. He never minded driving but the last ten hours had been a bitch of a trip. The brother's had finished up a job in Massachusetts and had headed out for their new gig in New Jersey. Unfortunately the trip had consisted of bumper to bumper traffic. Although Dean never complained about driving traffic was another matter. As Sam had tried detour after detour to avoid the congestion it had simply gotten worse.

Dean rubbed a hand across his eyes and willed the caffeine to give him the shot he needed. "Alright, Sam why are we in New Jersey again?"

Sam came to attention, pulling out his laptop and his small notebook he ran down the details. "Okay, we have seven people total disappearing from Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, in Basking Ridge NJ. The dissapearances have taken place over the course of two weeks. Of the seven people six of them had been couples hiking in the refuge. The seventh was a lone man. All seven people have disappeared without a trace." Sam leaned back and accepted his breakfast from the waitress with a smile.

Dean grinned wickedly at the older woman that was setting the plate before him. The woman simply smiled widely and shook her head at his flirtatious manner.

Sam snapped his fingers several times near Dean's head trying to get his attention back. Dean slapped Sam's hand down and said "Dude, I'm listening. But you know so far I just don't see why you think this is our kind of gig."

Sam nodded and continued flipping through his notes. "Well, all the missing people's cars were still in the parking lot. The area was searched and not a sign of any of them was found. And last but not least every one of them disappeared at twilight." Sam forked another mouthful of pancakes and looked expectedly at Dean.

Dean pursed his lips and nodded thoughtfully. "Alright little brother sounds like we got a job to do. Let's finish up and go check out this park."


	2. Chapter 2

Dean pulled into a parking spot and sat for a moment staring at the building before him. "Alright, Sam what do you think state police?" Dean began rifling through his cache of ID's and badges.

"Actually Dean I think something more subtle is in order this time. We should pick one of the couples and pretend to be looking for them. I mean they used search parties already; it's not inconceivable that other people would come to help locate them."

Dean nodded and swung himself out of the car. "Alright, then Sammy let's go rescue our poor lost grandparents. What were their names again?"

"Uh, right Al and Myrtle Raegis they were the second couple to disappear. They were 76 year old snowbirds that were bird watching. About nine days ago, they up and disappeared.

"Alright, then Grandma Myrtle and Grandpa Al, I'm liking them already." Dean said as he opened the door and waved Sam in. They found themselves inside the ranger office a long wooden counter top ran the length of the room. A strawberry blond sat behind it idly leafing through a celebrity magazine. Sam rolled his eyes and indicated that Dean should handle this.

Dean grinned and moved towards the desk. The blond was cute in an affected way, her nails were long and red, and her makeup screamed Saturday night hook up instead of a Monday work day. As Dean leaned on the counter enjoying the site of her full figure that was encased in a skin tight tank top he cleared his throat.

When she looked up from a thrilling article about Angelina and Brad, Dean was somewhat taken aback by the predatory gleam in her eye. "Well, hello to you. My name's Amber how can _I_ help _you_?" Dean felt a fissure of unease.

"Well to start, we'd like to talk to whoever is in charge of the Raegis missing person's case." Dean stated in a slow drawl. He was careful to stay out of reach of the young girl, her perfume was strong enough to make his eyes water.

"Oh, I really don't work here. I was just manning the desk for my sister. If you 'd like though I could take you in her office to wait." The girl's eyes left Dean for a moment and rested on Sam. "Your friend could come to. I know lots of ways to kill time."

Dean felt the smile on his face freeze at the suggestive line. He looked over his shoulder and took pity on the Sam and the way his face was flushing. "You know normally I might take you up on that but I really need to talk to someone in charge."

Dean watched as Amber's face clouded over, she stamped her foot and actually glared at Dean. "Oh, sure everyone wants to talk to Jeanie, she's the smart one, she's the one with the job."

A low voice from behind the boys continued. "She's the one with the standards. Come on Amber you can head out now." Dean turned and his chin nearly dropped open, Sam's he noted actually did.

The girl standing before him in a standard issue ranger uniform was tall, probably about 5 foot 9. Her hair the same shade as Amber's was un-teased and drawn back in a ponytail. She wore no makeup and only the top button of her shirt was undone. She was beautiful.

Sam actually moved slightly in front of Dean and held out his hand. "Hi, I'm Sam Raegis and this is my brother Dean."

Sam watched as the woman frowned slightly at the name and offered her hand in return. "My name's Jeanine Christiansen. You can call me Jeanie, everyone around here does. I take it you're related to Myrtle and Al Raegis."

Sara stared at the two handsome men, standing in her office. She was used to dealing with lots of different people. In her job she was every bit as much a liaison as an officer. However, the refuge consisted of primarily swamp land which usually led to bird watchers and fauna experts; rarely did she come across young men in their prime.

These boys were definitely in their prime, handsome and well built they were _nice_, no other way to put it. She could see Amber checking out Dean and she suppressed a laugh. The poor guy had no idea what he was getting into if Amber had set her sights on him. Jeanie watched as Dean shot her a smile full of confidence. Okay thought Jeanie maybe it was her big sister that was in for the surprise.

Dean stepped forward and offered his hand, "Yes, actually they're our grandparents. We came to see if we could help look for them." Dean offered his best grin and was rewarded with a smile.

Dean glanced over at Sam and lifted a brow in surprise. Sam was checking out the officer, and if Dean was any judge of his brother, Sam liked what he was seeing.

Sam thought for a moment and then said "You're the officer that's been searching every night right. I read an article that said you've continued looking for any sign of the missing people."

Dean stopped trying right there, if Sam had any interest in the pretty ranger than Dean wouldn't get in the way. He looked over his shoulder at Amber and noticed that she was leaning over the counter top. Dean grinned and raised an eyebrow at her. Her smile widened and she sent him a wink. Dean nodded and thought what the hell.

"Don't set too much store in that article; the guy was a real ass. He kept trying to make the story about me, instead of the missing people." Jeanie moved towards the coffee machine and poured herself a cup. Wincing at the taste she reminded herself not to let Amber make the coffee next time she was in the office.

Sam said quietly "Yeah, well you can't let it bother you. Are you still searching?" Sam followed the ranger past the desk and sat in the chair she indicated.

"Every damn day, and I've yet to find anything. No tracks, no blood, no sign of struggle it's as if these people are simply disappearing. To be honest I'm at my whit's end. At first I'd thought maybe black bear." At these words Jeanie's face became hard. "But there would have been some sign, you know." Jeanie heaved a sigh and stood, holding out her hand to Sam, she said "I'm off duty at six o'clock, if you're interested meet me back here and you can come out with me. I could use any help I can get. This swamp covers 7,600 acres."

Sam shook her hand and said "we'll be here." Sam turned and gathered up Dean shooing him out before him. A last glance at Jeanie showed her standing by the window and staring out into the afternoon sun.

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"Come on, Sam just admit you like her. I mean she's totally hot. How hard is it for you to admit you're human?" Dean asked as he drove out of the parking lot.

"Quit it Dean. I'm not trying to seduce her I just want to help." Sam glanced out of the corner of his eye at his brother's leering grin.

"Sure Sammy, the good Samaritan that's what we'll call you." Dean held up his arms in surrender when Sam popped him one on the shoulder. "Fine, fine let's talk about the case, any ideas?"

Sam perused his notes trying to make some sense of them. Suddenly a name on the list of the missing caught his eye. "Shawn Christiansen, Damn, I knew the name sounded familiar. One of the missing victims was related to Jeanie and Amber." Sam chewed on his fingernail in frustration.

"Okay, it's got to be something taking these people right. Or else there would be some sign. I've checked the area and the only interesting thing I could find was that a large part of this area belonged to a local Indian tribe." Sam rubbed his eyes tiredly.

"Well, that's got to be something right Sam, maybe cursed land, Indian burial site?" Dean said noticing just how upset Sam seemed to be. "It's going to be okay Sam, we'll figure it out." Dean cocked a grin at Sam and said "we always do."

Sam smiled at Dean's confidence and nodded. "You're right so, research now and tonight we'll meet with Jeanie." Sam flushed at Dean's knowing look and rolled his eyes. Turning away from Dean and looking out the window, Sam admitted that Dean might be right. Jeanie was the kind of girl he liked, pretty in a clean cut way. Obviously smart and able to stand on her own. Not that he would do anything about it. No way, thought Sam, well probably not.

A couple of hours later Sam heard the thud of the hotel room and looked up with tired eyes as Dean came in a carrying takeout bag. Sam grabbed a bag and rifled through it grabbing a burger. He quickly unwrapped it and dug in. He'd been hungry two hours ago when Dean had left to pick up food, he was now officially starving. Moaning softly at the first bite, Sam shot a look at Dean. "Where have you been man, you've been gone two hours."

Dean dropped down on the bed and stretched out, hands beneath his head he simply said "research."

Sam continued pulling out the rest of the food noticing that there wasn't enough for two. "What like at the library? And where's the rest of the food?"

"Oh, I caught a bite already. And no not at the library, I was... Um... out in the field. Yep, asking around town." Dean said closing his eyes with a smirk on his face.

"Damn, Dean you were with a girl, here I was waiting to eat and you were off romancing some random chick." Sam started in on the salad Dean had gotten for him.

"Nope, not random, I ran into Amber Christiansen downtown. I took her for a bite to eat and got some information. It's called taking one for the team Sam; maybe you can try it out tonight on your Ranger Babe." Dean laughed at his own joke.

Sam just shook his head "research huh, what'd you find out?"

Dean sat up and leaned against the wall. "A surprising amount, that Amber chick doesn't shut up, like I mean at all man." Dean grinned at the embarrassed look on Sam's face. "She told me that it was their brother Shawn that disappeared. Him and his girlfriend, at first the sisters thought that they had run away together but they took no personal items. Amber thinks they're dead but Jeanie is still determined to find them. The girl's parents are blaming the Christiansen sisters, namely Jeanie. Apparently Jeanie is the middle child; she's the only one that's not constantly in some kind of trouble."

Sam nodded and said, "Well, we can rule out Indians, the tribe sold the land got a fair deal and were more than happy to give the useless land over to the whites, there's no evidence of any type of burial site on or around the swamp either." Sam pulled his notes towards him and reviewed what he had found. "I did find out that twenty five years ago a four people went missing from that same general area, same m.o. they were also never found. And twenty-five years before that another six."

Sam sat back finally full and continued. "Police never picked up on it because it of the time line. Also, the area encompasses two counties; no one knew to check for other disappearances."

Dean nodded and said "well it's almost six let's gear up and head out. Maybe we'll get lucky and we'll see just what's taking these people. By the way have you thought of what we're going to tell Jeanie when we're forced to shoot whatever's doing this?"

Sam held up his hands and grinned. "Hey you're the bullshitter big brother you can pick the lie this time."

Dean grinned and rubbed his hands in glee, "alright, Sam just remember you let me decide."


	3. Chapter 3

Jeanie was having mixed feelings as she watched the classic black car pull into the ranger's station. On one hand, she was grateful for whatever help she could get. On the other, though she was worried about taking the two men with her. It was obviously not safe. Jeanie sighed tiredly, she suddenly wished she had someone to share the burden with. She seemed to be the only person in town that gave a damn about the missing people, about her baby brother.

Feeling alone was nothing new to Jeanie though, she'd been taking care of her older sister and younger brother for years. Ever since her Dad had decided to drink himself slowly to death.

Jeanie shook off the morbid thoughts and told herself that everything would be fine, after all wasn't she due some good luck.

Jeanie watched as the brother's approached. Earlier she had found herself taken with Sam; he was quiet, intelligent and seemed sensitive. He was the polar opposite of her brother and her father, Jeanie found his personality attractive. Then there was the fact that he was hot, smoking hot to be honest.

Jeanie noticed Dean next and laughed aloud. Dean was exactly what Jeanie had grown up with. He was brash and confident not to mention a player. Earlier she had gotten a phone call from Amber with a by-blow description of the older brother. Really, her sister had a way with descriptive words. Jeanie was hard pressed to stop the smile on her face as she watched Dean swagger up to her. Arching an eyebrow at him, she laughed aloud when faced with his unabashed grin.

"Hey there Jeanie, we ready to head out?" Sam asked as he moved up behind his brother. "Where do we start?" Sam asked as he studied the map that the ranger had spread out on a picnic table.

Jeanie waved a hand over the map, showing Sam the areas where searches had already been performed. Sam was impressed with the amount of ground that Jeanie had gone over already. "I figure we'll head out to Pleasant Plains Road, do you want to follow or ride with me?" Jeanie asked indicating the jeep that sat in the lot.

Sam saw Dean roll his eyes, but spoke before he could say anything. "We'll ride with you. I mean if that's all right." He watched as Jeanie nodded and threw a pack into the back of the jeep, the sides and roof had been removed exposing the jeep to the darkening sky.

Sam and Dean arrived at the passenger seat at the same time, Sam watched Dean cross his arms and lift an eyebrow. Sam actually grinned he knew exactly what Dean was thinking. There was no way Dean Winchester sat in the back seat, not unless dead or injured. No, strike that only if he was dead.

Sam knew he would have to pull out the big guns in order to get the front seat. Sam tilted his chin down slightly and stared solemnly at Dean, he made sure to widen his eyes slightly. After a moment, Dean sighed and climbed into the back seat grumbling the whole time. Sam pushed the seat back in place gleefully and climbed in.

Dean and Sam arrived at the passenger seat at the same time; Dean looked at Sam and then looked at the jeep. He could see Sam's thoughts clear as a bell. Dean frowned and thought to himself, there was no way Dean Winchester sat in the back seat, not unless dead or injured. No, strike that only if he was dead.

Dean was ready to fight Sam tooth and nail for the passenger seat. That's when Sammy gave him the look. Now, after twenty-three years of dealing with Sammy's many looks, there were only two that Dean was unable to refuse. And here in a parking lot in Jersey, Sam was giving him look number two. Dean sighed and climbed into the back seat bitching about Sam and his damn looks.

Jeanie hadn't noticed the battle of wills by the brother's; she climbed into the jeep simply glad that she had an extra pair of hands tonight. Over the last two weeks there were simply too many times when she had to search on her own.

"Jeanie, can I ask why you're searching at night?" Sam asked as he pushed back his seat to accommodate his long legs. He ignored the grunt from Dean as the seat pushed into Dean's knees.

"Honestly, the local sheriff is trying to convince himself that there is nothing to these disappearances." Jeanie's voice lowered in imitation as she said, "There's no forensic evidence to support your claims that anyone harmed these people. At most they got lost and wandered into the swamp, or took off and are simply not coming back." Jeanie spoke again in her normal voice as she fired up the Jeep's engine. "Fucking asshole, I still can't believe he earns money to protect people. The town would be better off without him."

Dean was blasted by the sound of Foreigner's 'Cold as Ice' blaring from the Jeep's speakers. Dean watched as Sam squinted in reaction, Dean on the other hand sat back and idly tapped out the rhythm on his leg. The ranger made no attempt to lower the volume; she pulled out of the space so fast that Sam almost toppled out of the Jeep. Dean leaned forward from the back seat and wrapped an arm around Sam's shoulders catching him at the last minute. Once the Jeep righted itself, Dean silently pushed the seat belt into Sam's hand. Sam accepted and put it on quickly.

Jeanie fairly flew down the roadway, she turned up the volume as Nazareth's 'Hair of the Dog' came on next. She never hesitated, handling the Jeep as if it were a sports car instead of a vehicle with bold 'this vehicle is prone to tipping' warnings all over the visors. Dean grinned loving the way Sam's face turned fairly green.

"Uh, Jeanie I still don't understand why we're searching at night." Sam asked trying desperately to hold onto his thoughts through the noise and motion.

Jeanie looked over at Sam and was instantly sorry, she had almost forgotten about the brothers. She noted the pinched look on Sam's face and slowed. Her hand reached out and lowered the radio at the same time. "I'm sorry guys." Jeanie looked into her rearview only to see Dean, mouthing the words to the song and tapping a rhythm out on the leg of his jeans. Jeanie laughed and lowered the music a bit more. "I like to blare the music it keeps the animals away, less chance of hitting a deer if they can hear you coming. Also, I like it loud, stops me from thinking too much. Anyway, Sam, the reason is that I was ordered by my boss to stop searching during work hours. And as much as I would like to tell the man to piss off, I desperately need this job."

Dean spoke up from the backseat, "doesn't it make it harder on you, searching this way."

Jeanie nodded "yeah, but I do the best I can. I'm out here every morning before work, every lunch break and every day off. I know that Shawn's still alive and I intend to find him." Jeanie said with conviction.

Finally, Jeanie spotted the area she wanted to start with, as she pulled the jeep over onto the shoulder she jumped out lightly to her feet. Moving towards the back of the jeep she pulled a rifle out of the back. As the brothers joined her she lifted a brow in question "Can either of you shoot?" At the twin surprised looks that faced her she explained "the area is home to black bears, now I don't imagine that they'll challenge you but you just never know. I'm not sure what took my brother and your grandparents but I know for sure that I don't want too meet it without some type of protection."

Dean grinned and pulled his own bag from the back seat, reaching in and pulling out his shotgun he said simply "We're covered."

At the question in Jeanie's eye Dean offered, "We were alarmed at your earlier mention of bears. Sam insisted on the shotgun instead of a rifle, he just can't stand the thought of hurting Winnie the Pooh." Dean smiled his brightest smile at Jeanie. All the while ignoring the sudden pain in his back as Sam poked him.

Jeanie grinned at Sam and said, "that's sweet. Just make sure you have no other choice before you shoot. These bears are harmless for the most part." Jeanie slung her rifle over her shoulder and put her backpack on. She moved off the road towards a path that wound through a field.

As she stepped away, Sam shoved Dean and whispered "Winnie the Pooh, Dean." Sam pushed past Dean and hurried to catch the pretty ranger.

Dean hung back slightly, happy to leave Sam alone to work his magic, or well his stuttering and stammering in peace. As they moved through the high grass the night around them grew darker. Dean's only thought was to be thankful that it was early spring and the bugs hadn't yet begun to fly in earnest. He'd hate to be in this marshy area in mid-summer.

As time passed, Dean became more and more bored. He had tried eavesdropping on the couple in front of him, but he was afraid that he would fall asleep from boredom. He'd yet to see anything interesting and neither Sam nor the ranger had turned to talk to him in more than an hour.

As they continued along the path Dean kept his flashlight peeled to in front of him. Dean suddenly paused, looking towards the left into a large moonlit field. For a moment, Dean thought he'd heard something. Dean stood paused on the path and listened. Unable to hear anything but normal night sounds Dean began walking again.

It was then that his attention was caught by a reflection in an area of scrub brush. He paused again for a moment trying to see what was causing it. He turned towards the light and moved to the edge of the path.

As he focused, he thought it was a light, but he really wasn't sure. He moved forward again unconsciously following the light. As Dean walked across the swampy ground, he never realized just how far he was drifting from Sam and Jeanie.

As Sam and Jeanie walked, they began talking, not about anything important just killing time. They had already been through favorite movies and music and were now exchanging sibling anecdotes.

Jeanie laughed and said, "she really did. We lost the state championship because of it. The two of them were so pissed that they refused to dress for the game. She was lucky she graduated or else they would have thrown her out."

Sam threw back his head and laughed. As he did he glanced behind him expecting to see Dean following. Sam stopped and turned, his flashlight moving over the path behind him. He could feel his heartbeat pounding in his chest and he wondered if he was old enough to have a heart attack. "Dean, Dean?" Sam shouted at the top of his lungs.

Jeanie turned to see what had stopped Sam, it was then she noticed that Dean was no longer on the path behind them. She turned using her flashlight to study the ground behind them. As Sam made a move to go past her she put out her hand, holding him back.

Feeling the strength beneath her hand, she took a moment to explain why Sam couldn't go running after Dean. "I'm a tracker Sam, I can find him, but I need the ground undisturbed." She felt more than saw Sam relax slightly.

Sam stood just behind Jeanie as she studied the ground under the light of her flashlight. Sam could see the footprints they'd made in the wet path, but he wasn't sure what she found so interesting. John had been the tracker in the family, although Sam and Dean could manage in a pinch they really weren't experts. Sam was becoming alarmed at just how far Jeanie and Sam had been walking without Dean.

There, thought Jeanie she recognized the pattern of Dean's boots. She was stunned at how far back she'd walked to find the imprint. Shaking off a feeling of dread, she saw the prints enter the low grass at the edge of the path. She followed the tracks for almost half a mile. That's where she came to the edge of the swamp, the tracks simply ended at the edge of the murky water. She turned towards Sam with heartbreaking sadness in her eyes.

Swallowing back the rise of tears Jeanie looked at Sam and said "this is it Sam, this is where his tracks led. I'm so sorry, I never should have allowed you two to get involved."

Sam stared down at Dean's footprints and tried to gather his brain in some semblance of order. Finally, he looked and saw the tears making tracks down Jeanie's face. "It's not your fault Jeanie; it's mine I should have been paying attention." Sam swallowed past the lump in his throat and thought, Damn Dean. "Why didn't he call out, struggle something. How can he have been carried off behind us, with no sound?"

Jeanie stared at the ground and tried to think, finally she heaved a sigh and said "maybe he didn't get taken, maybe he wandered off on his own."

Sam snorted and moved to take Jeanie's arm "let's head back towards the Jeep." Sam needed his laptop, to try and sort out what was going on. As he moved Jeanie's words kept coming back to him, maybe he wandered off.


	4. Chapter 4

Dean moved ever closer to the beckoning light, as he began to close in on it he smiled in delight. Finally, he thought he'd be able to catch it.

Dean never noticed as his boots hit the swampy water, Dean never noticed as the water reached higher and higher soaking the legs of his jeans. Dean never noticed as one of his boots became caught in the mire, he simply lifted his foot out of the shoe and continued on without it. Dean never noticed as the water began to recede and he was back on dryer ground. All Dean noticed was the light, growing ever closer.

It was only as Dean's feet scraped against something hard that he finally noticed his surroundings. He found himself surprised; the last thing he remembered was following Jeanie and Sam down a moonlit path. Now here he was standing on what felt like concrete in the dark. A dark so complete, that Dean was unable to see his own hand. Dean stood for a moment and tried to get his bearings.

Using his ears he detected only a slight rustling coming from somewhere to his left, nothing that sounded too sinister though. It might have been the wind rustling leaves, if there had been a wind. He could smell a somewhat familiar odor and yet he couldn't place what it was. Dean again brought his focus to the light that had stopped about twenty feet in front of him. Determined to find out what was going on, Dean took a step towards the glowing, bobbing light.

Instead of connecting with a hard surface, Dean felt himself falling through the air. Not being able to see and get his bearings he simply tucked himself up hoping against hope that he wouldn't end up breaking every bone in his body. As Dean felt the hard jolt of landing his head knocked hard against the ground, Dean felt consciousness seeping away from him and he desperately held on. Forcing his mind to focus and move. Instead the darkness pulled him ever deeper and he passed out.

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Jeanie stood by the window watching day break, she brought her glance back towards the young man that was furiously typing once again. To say she was confused would be the understatement of the year. Back at the park Jeanie had argued over and over again with Sam to stay and try and find Dean. Instead he'd seized her arm and literally dragged her back to the waiting vehicle. Once there he'd tossed her into the passenger seat, buckled her belt and climbed into the driver's seat. Starting the Jeep he'd brought her back to the ranger station, the only words he had uttered had been to ask if Jeanie had internet in the office. Jeanie had answered honestly though she was completely confused. Sam had simply nodded and used her keys to open the office door.

Now here they were three hours later and Sam had still not said a word. Jeanie walked toward the coffee pot and refilled her mug. As she drank she felt her stomach rebel, Jeanie forced down the drink anyway. The caffeine was the only thing she had going for her right now.

Sam stared at the screen and tried to make sense of what he'd read, after spending the first half-hour trying to track down information on the refuge, he'd finally given it up as a lost cause. Thinking back to what had happened Sam had come to the conclusion that Jeanie was right. Dean had not been taken or forced; no Sam would have heard something. That left only one other option, Dean had walked off on his own for some reason.

Sam still didn't agree with the thought, Dean simply wasn't like that. He would never have left Sam, when there was a possibility that Sam was in danger from something. Sam chewed on his pen cap and stared at the screen. But, thought Sam what if he was led away? What if something lured him from the path and before Dean knew what was going on. Sam typed quickly and pulled up another site.

He sighed in consternation there were at least a half-dozen creatures that were known to lead victims from the beaten path, some were mischievous simply leaving the follower lost. Many though Sam knew were malevolent and led the followers to their deaths. In this case, a lack of survivors pointed towards the latter.

In Latin it was called Ignis Fatuus, thought Sam Foolish Fire. Mischievous and malevolent in nature the small, man like creatures led unwary travelers into danger. Sam frowned as he read; these creatures often led their followers to a precipice and left them to see if they would turn in time or fall to their deaths. Sam blew out a breath not sure he was looking at the right creature. After all this was a swamp in New Jersey, just how many cliffs could there be. And why the pattern of every twenty-five years, a creature like this would normally lead astray any wanderer that came within his reach. He wouldn't follow any specific time line.

Sam finally pushed himself away from the desk and rubbed his eyes wearily. Looking at Jeanie he was at a loss to explain what he knew. He would have dumped her altogether and gone after Dean and the others on his own, except she knew the area and would save him time in the long run. "Jeanie are there any cliffs in the area? Any areas someone could fall and sustain and injury"

Jeanie jumped at the sound of Sam's voice, she'd been nodding off as she leaned against the counter top. Shaking her head at the odd question she answered. "No, nothing you couldn't roll down if you wished. Nothing cliff like, not even in the newer areas."

Sam looked at her and asked "New area, what newer area?"

Jeanie moved towards the full wall map of the refuge that was mounted on one of the walls. She pointed to a light blue section on the outskirts of the refuge. We purchased this area back in 1956, expanding the refuge. Over the years we've bought up other areas but nothing as extensive."

Sam studied the map in front of him and felt a sliver of hope. "Who exactly was the land bought from? How did the park acquire it."

Jeanie frowned in thought and said "One of the local business men, he was a generous contributor over his lifetime, in his will he left the tract of land to the refuge. I don't go out that way often, usually only to chase away kids looking to get drunk. Last time I was out that way, I saw that parts of his house still stand."

Sam wanted to pump his fist in the air in celebration. "How did the man die? Do you know?"

Jeanie was starting to wonder about Sam's mental state, not wanting to upset him she replied. "I think it was some sort of accident, a fall or something I'm not really sure."

Sam studied the map once again and asked, "When you showed me the areas you had searched you never mentioned that land, how come?"

"There's no parking on that end of the refuge, its wild, no trails. There's very little chance any of the victims could have ended up out there from where they went missing. It's at least a twelve mile hike and the swamp splits the land straight across. The only way is if they..." Jeanie looked up at Sam hope dawning in her eyes. "Is if went thru the swamp. You're thinking maybe that's where they ended up?"

She saw Sam shrug and said "It's worth looking at right. Is there some way to get there without going through the swamp, a shortcut?"

Jeanie grinned and said "I might know a way."

888

Dean awoke moaning in pain, his entire body ached and the cold concrete floor he was lying on wasn't helping. As he lay he took stock of his body, his head throbbed in time with his heartbeat and he could feel the blood that had dried on his face. He did his best not to move his head, even the tiniest of motions set his stomach rolling and he really didn't want to puke. He laid still flexing muscles and moving his limbs, surprisingly he seemed relatively unhurt, other than his head.

Dean finally acknowledged that he had to move, lying there on the cold dark floor wasn't going to get him anywhere. And he was concerned about the noises he'd heard earlier. He pushed himself up in increments each time waiting for his stomach to settle before he moved again. Slowly inch by inch he sat up, he was aware of the darkness that was trying to push in all around him. He forced himself to relax; Dean felt no fear in the dark. Hell it seemed as if half his life had been spent in the dark.

Concentrating on the noises Dean sat up fully and began searching his pockets. His 'no fear' speech sounded good but to be honest the noises he heard sounded like rats, and if ever there was something Dean didn't want to meet in the dark it was rats. Finally he found what he was searching for, his silver Zippo, he always carried one and he was glad to see it hadn't been lost with his gun. He took a moment to mourn the loss of his right boot as he kicked off his left one. They had been good boots, broken in just right and he would miss them. He would especially miss the knife that had been tucked into the right one.

Dean closed his eyes and struck the lighter, he could see the brightness of the flame behind his closed eyes and he opened them slowly trying to allow his eyes to adjust. As Dean finally chanced opening his eyes wide he gasped at the sight of several eyes relfecting his light back at him.


	5. Chapter 5

In the dim light cast by his lighter, Dean saw four pairs of eyes staring back at him. A high-pitched voice called out "Put the light away, it will draw him, put it out." The voice belonging to a thin, gangly man became almost panicked "Put it out."

Dean quickly drew a mental image of the sight before him and allowed the light to go out. As he did he heard a quiet moan escape one of the people in front of him. Dean crawled towards the group and stopped just before he reached them.

Dean sat down cross-legged and leaned towards where he knew an older woman was seated. "Hi, you must be Myrtle, my name's Dean. I've been looking for you."

Dean was surprised to hear a snort, "Damn fine job you're doing son, was falling in here part of the plan."

Dean shook his head and muttered under his breath, Damn he always managed to get the ones with the smart mouth.

Myrtle snapped "don't you mumble under your breath young man, if you've got something to say then speak. If not then kindly shut it."

Dean finally grinned; aw hell, he thought at least the lady had grit. "Sorry, Ma'm. Can any of you tell me what you know?"

The young girl that sat next to Myrtle spoke up, "My name is Tammy, and I've been here for six days. I was out hiking, with a friend, when I saw the light and followed it here. Stanley has been here for four days, the shortest time, well next to you. And Shawn and Sherry have been here for the longest. I guess about two weeks though they're really not sure. Myrtle and Al well they were led here shortly after Shawn."

Dean nodded and asked, "Where are the others?" He'd seen only four people in the light.

Tammy's voice wavered but she answered, "My friend Tommy was killed the night it hurt Shawn and Al, he died in the fall."

Dean heard a muted cry in the dark and felt a sadness rip through him, he wasn't sure who had made the sound but really it didn't matter. These people had been suffering for weeks, he needed to find a way out of this place now.

"Where are we and what is it?" Dean asked leaning forward in anticipation.

Tammy heard the question but didn't know how to answer "I have no idea where we are, it never gets lighter, and for what it is...I...I don't know. There are two creatures, the little guy that led us here. He's the one that drops the food and water, but the other I don't know what it is."

Great thought Dean, no wonder Sam had been unable to figure out what it was. They were dealing with two separate creatures. Crap, thought Dean we are so screwed.

Dean spoke up "Alright, what are we dealing with injury wise. You said that Shawn was hurt?"

This time it was another female voice that answered, "He's unconscious and has been for two days now. It did something to him, he won't wake up. Are you really here to help us, I've been waiting for Jeanie. I know she'll be here soon, she won't give up until she finds Shawn and me."

Dean felt the young voice go straight to his heart; he knew that Shawn Christiansen and Sherry Haddon were only fifteen years old. He could tell from the hollow sound of her voice that Sherry was barely hanging on. Dean moved towards the voice, finally he felt a leg under his hand. He moved along and knelt alongside Shawn. "She's out there looking for you right now, Sherry night and day. Her and my brother, they'll find us they will."

Dean felt Shawn for a pulse; he found it weak but steady. He quickly ran his hands over the young man's head searching for any sort of head trauma. Without light, he really couldn't tell much, feeling the cold of the young boy's skin Dean shrugged out of his jacket and laid it over him. "Alright, aside from Shawn how's everyone else."

Myrtle spoke up "I think I busted my ankle, though I ought to be glad that's all I did."

Dean could hear the tears in the older woman's voice. He moved away from the group and let his hands drift over the ground. He winced as he did, visions of rats and other vermin swarming in his mind. The one thing he noticed over and over again were bones, all of varying sizes and shapes. It seemed as if they were in a giant concrete grave. Dean grimaced but kept at it, finally he had two fairly sturdy sticks in his possession.

He moved back towards where he had left Myrtle. "Okay Myrtle, do you have anything I can bind that ankle with, a scarf or even a belt." Dean felt a length of material flutter into his hands and he grinned, old ladies and scarves never fails.

He quickly bound the sticks on either side of Myrtle's ankle, using the scarf to anchor them, it wouldn't help too much but at least it was immobilized that might offer the lady some relief. Dean heard Myrtle sigh in relief, and give whispered thanks.

"Anyone else, I don't have much to work with but I can get pretty creative," Dean asked.

"I think I dislocated my shoulder" Tammy called out.

Dean grimaced and moved towards her, "well Tammy this is your lucky day. I happen to be a bona fide expert at dislocated shoulders. My father's used to pop out all the time; I've become quit adept at putting them back in place."

Dean moved closer and whispered softly, "I'm going to need something to use for a sling. Are you wearing an extra jacket or anything?"

Suddenly a hand brushed against Dean's shoulder and he heard Myrtle say, "she gave her jacket to me, here you can use this. You sound like a young man that knows his way around one."

Dean held out his hand and accepted the material; it took him only a moment to realize that Myrtle had given him her bra. "Very impressive Myrtle." Dean laughed as the older woman chuckled and swatted him on the back.

As Dean went to work on the young girl he spoke softly to her hoping that it would help her with the pain he was about to put her through. "How've you guys lasted so long?"

Stanley answered, "The little guy throws food and bottled water down, I think they get it from the park trashcans, sometimes the food is rancid, but we've managed to eat and not get food poisoning yet."

Stanley continued as Dean worked on Tammy. "The other day, Shawn and Tommy lit a small fire using some matches that I brought. That thing came down and took Tommy, and it knocked Shawn out when he tried to stop him. We all heard Tommy's screams."

Dean could feel the shudders that racked Tammy, he quickly fashioned a sling from Myrtle's substantial bra and said "There you'll feel better soon, now that it's back in place the swelling will ease."

Tammy answered shakily, "It feels better already, thank you." Terry took a deep breath and continued, "Stanley's wrong you know it didn't take Tommy, it just moved him."

Tammy took Dean's hand and pointed it straight out. "He's out there somewhere, it did something to him, I think that's what it's going to do to us."

Dean grasped Tammy's hand and smiled, hoping she could hear it in his voice. "We're going to make it out Tammy, don't you worry. My boy Sam's going to be here any minute now, and then we'll break free."

Dean let go of Tammy's hand and began to make his way to where she had indicated, as he inched along a million thoughts circled his mind. The most desperate was that Sammy not make a liar out of him. Dean reached out carefully feeling the ground, he realized that he could smell the corpse and he slowed even more.

Dean reached out once more and almost retched. Dean could feel the exposed muscle of the corpse. Dean carefully felt over the body as best he could, trying not to gag. The corpse's skin had been completely removed. Dean sat back and wiped his hands on a handful of leaves that were nearby. Wiping an arm across his face, he began to move back towards the others. Please Sam, he thought hurry.


	6. Chapter 6

Sam and Jeanie moved as one towards the map, quickly Jeanie outlined for Sam just how they could access the area the quickest "We'll head on out of the park and come in from the north. There's an old access road. It'll be rough but the Jeep'll be able to handle it."

Sam nodded his mind already running through a list of supplies he would need from the Impala. He'd feel much safer bringing the car, but unfortunately as game as the car was it wouldn't be able to handle the off roading.

That's how Sam found himself in the front seat of the Jeep yet again, just as the sun was rising. Jeanie was driving hell bent towards the far side of the refuge.

Sam had no need to tell Jeanie to hurry, today was the sixteenth day that Shawn had been missing and Jeanie was finding it hard to hold onto what little hope she had left. As she drove she, music blaring pushing the Jeep to go faster, she blamed herself for not bothering to look over the north side of the refuge. She had never liked the area and when her job took her over there, she had gone in and quickly come back out. She urged the Jeep even faster; she would never stop blaming herself if Shawn was found dead. He was her little brother and she had spent her life protecting him.

They had finally reached the highway, when Sam saw the blue lights flashing in his side view mirror. Sam cursed his luck, and then remembered with a grin the driver's licenses Dean had made in the Raegis names. At the time Sam had called it a waste of time, Sam smiled sadly at the thought that Dean might not get a chance at an 'I told you so'.

Jeanie pulled over onto the shoulder and glanced at Sam. "Do not talk unless, he asks you a specific question and go along with whatever I say. And whatever is in that duffle bag, leave it. I don't want any trouble."

Sam nodded silently as the sheriff made his way towards the driver's side door. Sam felt a wave of cold sweep over him. As he looked at the sheriff, every hunting instinct that Sam possessed went on high alert. The man was tall and lean, Sam guessed his age as being in his forties. His hair was still a rich brown and he had piercing blue eyes. He was handsome in a cold way. As he spoke, Sam repressed a shiver.

"Jeanie," the sheriff said in a sing song voice. "You were speeding my dear. Now, it reflects badly on the rangers to have one of their employees breaking the law. What may I ask is the rush?"

Jeanie tried her best to smile up at Sheriff Walsh, she knew it looked strained but it was the best she could do. "I'm sorry Sheriff. I didn't even realize it, I was running late."

Sam could feel the Sheriff's eyes on him and he strove to smile politely. "Who's your friend Jeanie? I find I'm not familiar with him."

Jeanie looked down shyly and said "this is Sam Raegis; he came see if he could find out anything more about the disappearance of his grandparents. We were up all night and I'm taking him back to the airport. His flight leaves in a couple hours."

"Up all night huh," the Sheriff managed to make the simple statement seem dirty and Sam found it hard to suppress the flush of anger that filled his face. Luckily, the Sheriff seemed to take it as embarrassment, he chuckled and continued. "Well, young lady it seems you and Amber have more in common than anyone realized. I'll have to remember that.

Again, it was all Sam could do to stop from beating the older man to a pulp. He glanced at Jeanie and saw the tight look on her face. He finally spoke up "I'm sorry officer, Jeanie was speeding for me. I didn't want to miss my flight."

The Sheriff seemed suddenly angry that Sam would dare speak. He practically growled, "Step out of the car right now."

As Sam pulled himself out of the Jeep he felt a fissure of unease, the Sheriff actually seemed unstable. Sam could see Jeanie tense and he shook his head a fraction at her. He could handle himself and he didn't need Jeanie risking herself to come to his aid.

As Sam moved around the front of the Jeep, he approached the Sheriff warily. The Sheriff was about to reach out and grab for Sam when he stopped suddenly. Sam watched as he turned his head slightly as if listening to something only he could hear.

"Jeanie you can head on out. Maybe I'll stop by later today and visit you at the office." With these words, spoken in a calm clear voice the Sheriff walked back to his car. Sam watched as he got in and pulled back out onto the highway.

Sam moved slowly back towards the passenger seat and sent a questioning gaze towards Jeanie. Jeanie shrugged and said "I told you not to say anything; he would have beaten you to a pulp and then arrested you on assault charges. I was handling it."

Sam just didn't get it, it was almost as if he'd been called away. Sam shrugged off the chill and turned towards Jeanie, "let's go." As Jeanie pulled back onto the highway, Sam found himself urging her towards ever-greater speed. It was as if someone was urging him on.

888

Come on Sammy thought Dean over and over again. He was worried, he'd been in this pit for hours and the unbroken darkness was starting to get to him. He moved forward once again cautiously hand against the concrete wall. He'd decided to check out just where he was being held against the protests of the others.

Tammy had only relented when Dean had agreed to call out in intervals letting her know he was still among the living. Earlier when Dean had returned to Tammy's side after finding her friend he'd been unable to say out loud what he'd found. Instead, he had reached out and grabbed her good hand squeezing it gently. He'd vowed to help these people once again.

Dean kept his hand on the wall and reached as far as his height would allow. After he'd circled the enclosure once it had finally occurred to him just where they had been left. It was a swimming pool, the smooth sides and lack of joints had convinced him. The only thing was that there didn't seem to be a shallow end, or any steps.

On his second trip around Dean had decided that maybe it was a cement pond. Though if that were the case you would think, they'd be able to see daylight, because I mean who puts a cement pond inside a house. And a house with no windows at that thought Dean.

That's when it had occurred to Dean to pile up the debris littering the bottom and to try and reach the lip. Over the other's protests, Dean had begun dragging branches and rocks to form a haphazard pile, although he'd never tell the others he had even added a few skeletal remains to the pile. Dean focused on the job at hand but he never stopped the litany that ran through his mind...come on Sammy...come on Sammy... over and over again Dean chanted as he built his pile higher and higher.

Finally, Dean tossed the last of the concrete pavers he'd found on top and readied himself to climb, before he could begin though, Dean felt as if he'd been hit by a cold blast of air. Reminding himself that it couldn't be anything good, he tried to climb faster. This time the gust of air knocked him down; as he lay winded, he could hear Stanley's panicked voice calling out.

Dean struggled to get to his feet when he noticed a feeling of paralysis, taking over his body. As he sank bonelessly to the ground, he could feel nothing from his neck down. He lay blinking when a hand gripped him under his chin and began lifting him up in the air. A cold toneless voice spoke "So, you are going to be the first to try and escape. Hmmm... not surprising there's always one that resists, you'll learn as others before you have learned."

Dean gasped for air, the pressure in his throat unbearable. The voice continued "Oh, look at you. What a treat you have beautiful eyes. I've always wanted a pair truly beautiful eyes. Yes, indeedy I am one lucky duck."

Dean could feel himself beginning to black out. He strained his eyes, searching for some sign of what held him. His eyes could see nothing in the darkness; he heard the continued cries of Stanley and hoped that he wasn't being hurt.

"Well, that should halt any plans of escape for the time being, now shouldn't it. I'm going to release you now, but remember I am all knowing and all seeing." Dean gasped as air flooded back into his lungs, looking towards where the voice had last sounded, Dean rasped "what are you fucking Oz, are you some schmuck sitting in a castle right now, pretending you have powers."

Dean heard the shriek of rage, but before he could congratulate himself for upsetting the voice he was flung through the air. He hit the wall face first and only had time to mumble...come on Sammy one last time before the darkness claimed him.


	7. Chapter 7

Sam snapped to attention at the sound of the Jeep's engine shutting off. Looking forwards in surprise Sam saw a tree had fallen across the path they had been following, effectively cutting them off. He heard a choked curse as Jeanie moved to grab her rifle from the rear of the Jeep.

"We'll have to leave the Jeep here Sam, and hike the rest of the way in." Sam watched as Jeanie climbed over the tree, as soon as she dropped over the other side she began a loping run.

Sam grabbed his duffle and followed the ranger. The two of them moved silently through the wooded path. The only sounds were of their feet hitting the ground. After a while, Sam noticed Jeanie's breathing had become harsher. He slowed and placed a hand on his side. "I have to slow down, Jeanie or I'll never make it."

Jeanie slowed the almost frantic pace she had been moving at and shot a glance at Sam. She noticed that he was barely even sweating, she shook her head and said "stick to the truth Sam, you're a sucky liar."

Sam grinned and said "Don't blame yourself, I've got longer legs. My brother Dean's always complaining says he has to work harder." At the mention of Dean, Sam's face clouded over. For the last hour Sam hadn't felt the same urgency to hurry as before, and although he told himself it wasn't true he wondered if Dean no longer needed him.

Jeanie saw Sam's face cloud over and sought to lighten his mood. "Yeah, well I can feel for Dean, my little brother outgrew me about a year ago and it still throws me off." Jeanie remembered with a pang the first time she'd realized that her 'baby' brother was taller than her.

Sam nodded and said "Yeah, Dean still can't get over the fact that I'm grown up. He's forever treating me as if I'm ten."

"Aw, go easy on him Sam, to him there's a part of you that'll always be ten. We can't help it." Tears began to run down Jeanie's face. "I need to find him Sam, without him I don't know what'll become of me. My whole life has been him, how do I go on without him." Jeanie looked at Sam for a moment.

That's when Sam saw it, a pain that he'd hoped to never see again. It was as if Jeanie's brown eyes shown a vibrant green instead. Her look of despair and pain was a twin to the look in Dean's eyes, when they had both thought Sam was going to die from the demon virus. Sam's heart clenched when he heard Jeanie give voice to Dean's thoughts. Sam pulled her against him and whispered, "we'll find them Jeanie. We'll find both of them."

Jeanie visibly pulled herself together and Sam found even more to admire about the pretty ranger. She began moving again and said in a firm voice, "it'll take us an hour and a half to reach the end of this track. Then another hour or two to reach the old property line, after that I'm not sure. I haven't been back to the house since I was a kid."

Sam nodded and set himself for the walk that was before him. He had vowed to Jeanie that they would make it in time and Sam had no intention of failing her.

888

"Come on Son, wake up. Wake up now." Dean felt a soft hand gently patting the side of his face. He opened his eyes slowly and for a moment felt as if his eyes really had been taken. The darkness was so complete. Dean moved slowly trying to figure out just what had been broken, or even easier, to figure out what hadn't. He realized that he lay with his head on Myrtle's soft lap.

A weak grin on his face he said "Are you taking liberties with me, Myrt?" Dean began sitting up and had to stop, before the nausea got the better of him.

"Oh, honey if I was 50 years younger I'd have already done more than take liberties." Myrtle said with a small laugh.

Dean gently put his hand to the lump on his forehead and said, "You give me the word Myrtle, and you and me'll hit the road together, Atlantic City, a little gambling, good times."

Myrtle laughed a deep rumbling laugh and said "Oh, someday some young thing is gonna sweep you up and train you right. I would love to see you then."

"Not me Myrt, I was born free and I'm gonna stay that way." Dean stood shakily and was glad to find his legs held him up. "How long was I out? Has there been any changes?"

Dean heard Tammy say "You've been out for almost three hours; we kept trying to wake you. Nothing new has happened. Not after you were thrown against the wall.

Dean cracked his neck and said "Alright, I'm going to try again, you guys just stay back and stay out of the way. That thing said we only have until moonrise tonight and I don't aim to be handing out my eyes any time soon."

"You can't, this thing will kill us all in retribution." Stanley's voice rang out.

Dean sighed and turned for a moment "Don't you get it, this is it. We get out now or we die. You can't reason with this thing, behaving won't work, it brought us here to kill us and it will."

Dean heard no more complaints from Stanley as he began to move slowly towards where his pile was. Dean once again began building up the debris, trying to give him more height. Finally, once it seemed stable enough he began his careful climb. He was hoping to get maybe another three feet from the pile, and then with his arms stretched he would add his nine feet. Dean wasn't sure what he would do if that wasn't high enough.

Dean kept his hands balanced against the wall and slowly slid them upwards as he climbed the pile. Reaching up Dean cried out in triumph as his fingers curled slightly over the edge of the pool. Stretching farther and farther and trying to keep his footing, Dean jumped in surprise at the feel of toes under his fingers. His jump caused his pile to begin to slide and Dean lost his footing, as he did though he grabbed hold of the foot in his hand and yanked hard.

Dean wrapped his hand around the foot to ensure that it fell where he did. As Dean landed, he saw the world around him light up. Winded but not really hurt he moved to subdue the wiggling creature he now held by one foot.

Dean heard the surprise voiced by the others, he himself had expected what the creature would look like and he was still surprised. Quickly searching the ground using the light that seemed to come from its fisted hand Dean found a length of discarded rope. He quickly hog tied the fairy and stared down in fascination.

Tammy slowly stood and looked down at the creature. Finally, she looked at Dean and asked "What the hell is that thing?"

Dean grinned and sat on his haunches, his eyes taking in the small creature "It's a Fairy, or a Pixie, or something, oh crap it's got a ton of names. Take your pick it all depends on which swamp or bog you're standing at. The only important thing is that he's a spirit that lures people into danger." Dean rubbed his head in concentration trying to remember anything else having to do with these creatures. "I've never heard of them here in the state though, this guy is a long way from home."

Dean looked at the tiny little man; he was bald with only a few spare hairs sprouting from his head. He had a large bulbous nose and small beady eyes. His face was beyond wrinkled and he wore an old velvety green suit, the suit was riddled with wholes and filthy dirty. He wore no shoes on his feet and from his right fist glowed a bright light. Dean was impressed as the creature hurled a host of curses from its tiny little mouth, Dean listened and understood many, but he thought it was also cursing him in another language. Dean smiled sadly at the thought that Sam would know what language it was cursing in. Pushing thought of his brother away, Dean leaned in and said to the creature.

"What's the plan little man, how do we get out of here?" Dean watched as the creature dumbed up, refusing to even look at Dean. Dean was at a loss for a moment on how to make the creature talk. Finally, he shrugged and using his fingers flicked the creature on its giant nose. The creature screamed a sound to rival a banshee and began sobbing hysterically.

Dean waited a moment and then made as if to flick the creature again. Dean paused as it said "wait, wait, don't hurt me, I'm just a servant. Made to walk the swamps, I cannot tell you anything."

Dean nodded and said, "I'm sure you can help us. Why are we here?"

The creature stared belligerently at Dean refusing to answer. Dean again reached out and flicked the little monster on its nose. Again, they listened to an outlandish scream before it finally answered. "You're in the lair"

Dean nodded at the cryptic answer and looked towards the dark sky. "Why's it so dark all the time."

This time Dean only needed to threaten the creature before it spoke "He makes it so, he has much magic and can bring darkness to the skies."

Dean listened carefully and said, "Is he a warlock? How can we escape?"

"You cannot, I've been with him for over two hundred years and have not been able to escape. No mere mortal will. He was a warlock in another life, now he's something else. He trapped me when I was still young and has used me ever since. I cannot pass his boundaries without his leave. He will come and take from you the things he needs and you will die. Perhaps not right away, but you will die." The small creature shuddered.

Dean sat back and said, "How much time do we have?"

The creature looked perplexed by Dean's question. "You don't understand you cannot escape, you cannot flee. You are already dead. There is only one hour left until he returns to prepare."

"An hour okay, then how do we escape? Is there some kind of alarm, something that will let him know we're leaving?" Dean asked.

"You don't understand you're ..." Dean interrupted the creature, "Yeah, Yeah I get it we're already dead. So if we're dead you have no reason not to tell us."

The creature seemed confused by Dean's logic; finally, he answered "only I can pass through the barrier."

Dean nodded and filed the information away for later. "Alright then, all we need is a plan."

888

Sam stopped for a moment and noticed that the sun was definitely on its descent. They had been walking non-stop for hours. Sam wasn't sure what was causing his sense of urgency but he was no longer content to walk the distance. He and Jeanie had worked out a pattern by which they ran for a mile and walked for a mile. It was cutting down the time it would take to reach the house, but allowed them to keep going.

Sam noticed that Jeanie was staring intently at the road ahead of them. Sam looked down and noticed the line that seemed to cross the drive in front of them. On their side the grass and plant life was awakening, the vibrant greens in a million different hues showed just how late into spring they were. On the other side though, it looked as if spring hadn't come in a long time. The plant life was stunted and wilted. There were a dozen different kinds of fungus growing on the path. On this side, the sun appeared to just be touching the horizon, on the other it looked as if evening had come early, there were no shafts of last minute sun poking through the trees. In fact, the trees were so thick there was no sign of the sky at all.

Sam put a hand out to stop Jeanie from crossing the line. Instead, he took a deep breath and stepped over himself. Sam stood on the other side and waited for a moment, when nothing occurred he reached behind him and motioned to Jeanie to follow. Sam wasn't sure exactly what was causing everything to die on this side of the forest but he knew to expect the worst. For a moment, he considered trying to keep Jeanie from coming.

"Oh, no you don't Sam; the only way you'll be leaving me behind is if you knock me out. And I may not look like much but trust me when I say I'll make you pay." Jeanie's eyes flashed fire at Sam.

Sam backed a step and said, "I don't want you to get hurt."

Jeanie nodded and said "Fine, then make sure I don't"


	8. Chapter 8

"Dean, do you have a plan, yet?" Tammy asked, she found herself unable to look at anything other than Dean. There was something about the hard man that made Tammy feel safe. Also, although she never would have thought it, she wished they were still in the dark. Now from the light of the spirit she could see too much. The litter of bones was incredible and made Tammy sick to her stomach. She kept her hopeful gaze pinned and Dean and waited.

Dean grinned and said, "I'm working on one. We're getting out of here Tammy, I promise."

888

Sam and Jeanie moved slowly and cautiously towards the center of the property. They were both reduced to using flashlights because the light was so dim. Sam advised Jeanie to keep hers down as much as possible to prevent anyone from seeing them coming.

Finally as they knelt in the dead grass, behind the hulking shape of a junked car Sam looked over the surroundings. He could see the massive shape of the house and several outbuildings. Sam found himself uncertain, he knew he needed to find Dean and find him soon. Whatever had caused everything near the house to die was powerful. Sam was afraid they were dealing with some type of witch, and that was never a good thing.

Finally, with a nod he decided, "we're going to go with the house. We'll search it quick and quietly."

Jeanie heard the authority in Sam's voice and wondered just who he was that he seemed to be adept in situations like these. Jeanie decided to trust him; after all even with her training she felt way over her head. "Let's go."

Sam made his way towards the house, moving from tree to tree. His movements, no more than shadows in the dark. Jeanie tried to follow with as much stealth and patted herself on the back when Sam had nodded approval.

Sam continued forward and found a door hanging loose on rotting hinges, at the rear of the house. Before entering, Sam checked both his shotgun and handgun. He watched as Jeanie did the same. Whispering Sam said "shoot first, don't hesitate. You have seen pictures of the hostages so you know what they look like. No one else should be here."

Jeanie nodded and hung her rifle over her shoulder; pulling her handgun, she followed Sam into the house. Jeanie found herself in the kitchen; the smell emanating from the house was like nothing she had ever experienced, an overpowering mold smell, along with something darker. Jeanie quickly began breathing through her mouth to help cut down the odor.

Sam found himself striving not to gasp, he wasn't sure but he thought the smell rotting flesh. Sam felt fear try and overpower him; he pushed it away and continued his search. Room by room they moved, checking every aspect of the house. Finally they stood, at the top of the basement stairs. Sam went first careful not to touch the spores that clung to the wet stone walls. Upon reaching the final step, his foot landed in a puddle of water. Sam, hesitated for a moment, he almost turned signaling Jeanie to turn around. Instead, though Sam told her to wait and moved forward.

Sam took a step and found himself in a dry and well-appointed room. Quickly turning he found that he could see Jeanie, but she seemed unable to see him. Sam reached out and grabbed her arm pulling her through with him.

Jeanie stood in surprise at the room, they had found themselves in. The room was large and dry, the stone walls, lacking the mold and damp that they'd become accustomed to seeing in the rest of the house. The floor was dry and made of stone. Although unlit, candles stood at intervals through out the room. Sam moved towards a stand and lit several. As the room brightened Sam began searching.

It was Jeanie that cried out in pain; Sam quickly moved towards her and found her holding a battered blue backpack to her chest. As she looked up towards Sam she said "It's Shawn's, I gave it to him last year. He always keeps it with him."

Sam nodded his own attention drawn to what looked like an alter, against the far wall. Sam's gaze traveled over the tabletop and he grimaced, whatever the alter was being used for it seemed to be the cause of the smell, that permeated the house.

Sam backed a step and considered destroying it. He was afraid that if he did, he would do more harm than good. Finally, he turned and that's when he noticed the beat looking brown leather coat. Picking it up he was immediately surrounded by the smell of his brother. Sam blinked back tears and vowed he'd find him. Sam carefully folded the jacket and placed it into the duffle he carried. Vowing to himself that he would return it to Dean. "I'm here Dean, hold on I'm here."

Sam turned and moved towards the steps. "Let's go Jeanie, they're not being held in the house."

Sam started up the stairs, as he exited by the kitchen door once more he noticed that dark had fallen. Sam and Jeanie moved across the grounds checking the outbuildings for any signs of the missing.

888

Dean stood staring up into the darkness trying to find a way out of this mess, his thoughts roaming towards Sammy and he found himself wishing they were together. Sam and Dean on their own were formidable, but together they were impossible to beat. It had always been that way for the brothers. They worked with an efficiency that was scary at times.

As Dean stood, he closed his eyes for a moment, drawing strength from the fact that he knew Sam would be trying to find him. Dean's eyes flew open, he wasn't sure if he had heard the words with his ears or in his mind, but he knew that Sam was close.

Dean grinned, and moved towards the others, Dean had a plan.

Dean moved towards the creature, taking a knee he looked into the beady little eyes. "Do you have a name?"

The creature seemed surprised by the question, "I did at one time, I no longer remember what it was though."

Dean nodded and said "Okay, then I'm going to call you Beacon, alright. Beak for short. Now, Beak we can't see out correct?"

At Beak's confirming nod Dean continued, "Okay then next question can anyone see us? See this pit, I mean."

Beak shook his head and said, "No, people could walk right over you and would never know. The only way to see is by my light. My light is the only thing that shows the true nature of this pit."

Dean suddenly grinned and said, "I have an idea, Stanley I'm going to need your help."

888

Sam stood in the cooling darkness and groaned they had been all over the property and had yet to find any sign of Dean or the others. Finally in desperation Sam turned a slow circle hoping his eyes would pick up something he had missed before. Out of the corner of his eye, Sam swore he saw a light flicker. Turning towards where he had seen it, he waited hoping it wasn't the owner of the alter.

There, thought Sam there it was again. Sam moved forward keeping his eyes peeled waiting for the flash. Again, the light seemed to come from the ground and sink back into it. Sam could hear Jeanie's questions but he continued without heeding them. Sam followed the light towards a large open area. He'd been over the area already, but he was hoping he'd missed something.

Sam saw the flash again and grinned, sure that it was somehow a signal from Dean.


	9. Chapter 9

Again, Stanley again." Dean once more tugged on the ends of his flannel shirt and threw his arms up. He then waited for the weight that would be landing once again, pulling his arms.

Stanley whined, "I can't my arms are killing me, he's just too heavy."

Dean practically snarled at the older man, "Would you rather it came and pulled your arms off, Stanley for him it would be like pulling the wings off a fly."

Even in the flickering light Dean could see Stanley blanch. Dean was glad to hear Stanley stop the whining. He'd been driving Dean crazy for the last ten minuets. Dean's thoughts traveled once again towards Sam, Dean had considered Sam somewhat whiny but now that he'd spent time with Stanley he realized what whining really was.

It had taken Dean precious minutes to get Stanley to agree to his plan, and that was only after Tammy had stood intending to take Stanley's place. Dean had to grin at the girl's grit, she knew they were on borrowed time and she was willing to do anything rather than wait and trust to fate.

Stanley had finally agreed and Dean had gone over to Shawn's side, quickly feeling for a pulse he was glad to find it strong and steady. Ever since his encounter with the voice, Dean figured that Shawn was paralyzed. He'd told Sherry earlier to keep talking to the young man and Sherry had taken the order seriously. Now, Dean bent over him and said in a low voice "they're here Shawn, Jeanie and Sam. They're here and we're going to get out of here. I'm going to have to take my flannel shirt back though. I've got a plan," Dean said with a grin.

Moving back towards the center of the pool, he'd knelt and asked Beak. "Now, Beak do you want to be free? I mean really free?"

Beak had eyed Dean suspiciously and nodded slowly. Dean grinned and said with a wink "good. Then Stanley and I are going to toss you in the air. We're going to get you as high as possible. I need you to raise that light as high as you can. We'll catch you as you fall and toss you back up again." Dean looked at the determined expression on the tiny creatures face.

"You'll be the only thing passing through the barrier and hopefully the big bad won't even notice. The goal is to signal help." Dean released the little man from his bindings and laid the jacket on the ground. Beak marched determinedly onto it, and sat waiting. Dean and Stanley had each picked up a side and tossed the little man into the air.

It had taken a couple tosses for Dean and Stanley to really get the knack of it. Dean let loose a booming laugh though as the small creature zoomed high into the air stretching his arm for all he was worth. Take that you bastard, thought Dean as the signal shone bright in the darkness.

Sam continued moving towards the light, he found that he had to stop every time the light disappeared. He was impatient with how long it was taking but he also felt sure that the light was somehow a connection to Dean. Sam slowed only as he approached the edge of what appeared to be a pool, looking down cautiously he cried out as he saw Dean staring up at him. "Damn, Dean am I glad to see you."

Dean grinned and carefully lowered a tiny, little man to the ground, Sam watched in surprise as Dean reached out and patted the little guy on the head.

"Only half as glad as I am to see you Sam." Dean quickly turned serious. "It's about to begin its ceremony and we have injured people down here."

"Apparently, every twenty five years it needs to make a new skin suit, I'm talking skin, eyes, ears, hair, teeth, the works, Sam. And tonight's the night. He'll be coming at any moment. Dean told his brother, glad that he'd been able to convince Beaky to talk.

"Let's get them out then" said Sam as he began to lower his hand towards his brother.

Dean's hoarse shout stopped him, "No good little brother, if anything other than Beaky here crosses the barrier than it'll send up an alarm."

Sam stood and as Jeanie approached the edge. "He's okay Jeanie, everything's going to be okay."

Jeanie called down in a strained voice "Hey, Shawn I'm right here, baby brother."

Dean said softly, "He can hear you Jeanie, he just can't speak yet. He's going to be okay though."

Sam turned his attention back to Dean. "Got a plan Dean?"

Sam felt a shiver of unease crawl up his spine at his brother's grin.

"Yup, I got one Sam."

888

Dean glanced once again at his watch, he shifted his weight carefully. The piled up debris caused him to teeter, but Dean managed to keep his balance. He knew he needed to get out quick, if he was unable to trigger the warning at the right time Jeanie would be in danger.

Sam cursed again, he still wasn't sure at what point he had given in and agreed to Dean's plan. The primary reason was that Sam hadn't been able to come up with one himself. Sam watched as Jeanie entered the house, he was hiding just beyond the lip of the pool in a thick stand of trees. He felt like an elephant trying to hide behind a mouse. Unfortunately it was the best cover he could find, that was close enough to the pool. He only hoped that the tiny creature that stood shaking by his side could help.

Dean now found himself regretting that he'd tossed Beak to Sam earlier, what the hell, thought Dean as he leaped blindly forward. His hands caught and Dean used his feet to lever himself up and out. Dean had only a moment to appreciate the sudden moonlight and the appearance of the pool behind him.

Sam felt Beak, as his brother had named him; shudder the tiny creature was actually rattling the trees with his movement. Sam wasn't sure why Dean trusted this tiny figure but, the fact that he did was enough for Sam. Sam glanced at his watch again. Counting off the minutes Sam nearly bolted from his cover as he saw his brother suddenly push himself up from what appeared to be solid ground.

A moment later, moonlight flooded the area. That combined with the sight of the pool popping into existence told him that Jeanie had managed to destroy the alter. Sam didn't have long to wait before a shriek resounded. Appearing out of nowhere, a figure moved towards Dean. His silhouette seemed somehow familiar to Sam.

Dean cringed as the thing before him materialized out of nowhere. It stood Shorter than Sam but taller than Dean, it was thin to the point of emaciation. Its eyes were covered in a film as if covered by cataracts. Dean also noticed that one seemed slightly larger, bulging out of his eye socket. The man's, if he could be called that, skin appeared to almost hang off of his body. It was as if the thing wore a suite of skin, and the suite had begun to decompose. His ears hung loose and his hair was more a mop of straw than anything resembling human hair.

The strangest thing was that it wore a pristine uniform, a Sheriffs uniform. Dean lay immobilized watching as it approached, his numb body trapping him on the ground. Dean waited hoping that Beak would be able to do his part. Dean was worried about Sam and the others. Their hopes rested on the tiny creature.

Sam watched Dean fall to the ground before, the figure standing over him. Sam could feel Beak's shaking as the creature readied himself for his part. Sam patted him gently on the shoulder and watched as Beak tore from the brush.

The figure standing over Dean never noticed the small creature as it darted towards him. Quick as a rabbit the little guy raced past the creature and grabbed something from around his neck. Beak ran little legs pumping back to Sam's side.

Sam heaved a sigh of relief as he felt the creature beside him. Time's up thought Sam as he stood, holding a vial in his fist.

Walking towards the man like creature in front of him, Sam held up his hand holding the vial. "Step away from him." Sam called out.

Sam watched in surprise as Sheriff Walsh turned to face him. "You're alters been destroyed and this is the last bit of magic you now possess. Step away." Sam said firmly, he didn't need to do much other than hold the creature's attention.

Sam had suggested that Dean take this point, Dean was much better at pissing things off. But as Dean had pointed out, Sam could handle the job. "So, what you run around every twenty-five years and make yourself a new meat suit?" Sam asked forcing a light tone in his voice.

Sheriff Walsh turned and flicked a hand towards Dean. Sam could see the Dean's face redden as the creature squeezed Dean, effectively choking him. The Sheriff sent a mockery of a smile at Sam. "You, I take it young Jeanie is here somewhere. Good, good that will give me more options." Walsh said as he grinned showing a mouthful of rotted teeth, "She had beautiful teeth, as you can see I need a new set."

Sam held himself still, eyes flickering towards Dean. He was careful not to fall for the taunt. Smiling with a mouth full of teeth Sam said "Well, Frankenstein why don't you come and get mine?"

The Sheriff surged in anger suddenly, "Frankenstein, Frankenstein was a monster created by an idiot, all science. Nuts and bolts fused together. No, I am no mere Frankenstein, I am organic I am a living thing of beauty. I have lived for over two hundred years and I will live for two hundred more. I am invincible and no mere mortal..."

Sam watched in fascination as Dean was suddenly released, he moved carefully towards the axe that lay slightly behind Walsh, picking it up Dean stood and swung the weapon in a smooth arc, quickly parting Walsh's head from his shoulders.

As the axe came out the other side, Walsh's body turned to ash. Sam watched as the pile hit the ground, the wind blowing it in all directions.

"Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, we get it no mere mortal will ever destroy you, like we haven't heard that one a thousand times." Dean said as he moved towards Sam, grinning broadly. "I told you it would work."

Sam stood shoulder to shoulder with his brother, arms brushing and said "I gotta admit, it was, a stroke of genius to have Beak break the vial, while I kept the thing's attention."

Dean nodded and said "stroke of genius, huh. Yup, that's me." Dean raised a brow at Sam and grinned, "Did you miss me?"

Sam grinned in return and said, "Nah, do you think we should get to rescuing those people Dean?"

Dean laughed and clapped Sam on the back. As the brothers walked towards the pool Dean said "You missed me, I know it. So Jeanie did you and her, uh, hit if off?"

Sam shook his head and ignored him. Dean laughed and followed.


	10. Chapter 10

God, Dean thought as he let out yet another jaw cracking yawn. This has to have been the longest night of his life. Okay, maybe not the longest, but hey it's got to be up there. He can see the sun just rising from behind the horizon. "Hey Beak, are we there yet."

"Soon, almost there." Beak called over his shoulder.

Dean nodded and shifted the weight pulled on his shoulders. "I got to say Sam you really outdid yourself this time. I think this is the best litter you ever rigged." Dean looked over his shoulder at the canvas tarp that Myrtle reclined on. Dean shook his head and said "How pathetic is that I can rate the different litters you've rigged."

"What's pathetic Dean is that most of them have been travois', after all normally I end up lugging your ass out on my own." Sam said with a laugh.

"If you two are done patting yourselves on the back, you might want to start walking again. The little guys is pulling ahead." Myrtle called from the canvas litter that Sam had rigged from scavenged supplies left at the house.

Dean looked forward and noticed that Beak was indeed pulling away. "Yo Beaky, give us a break. Just how long is this shortcut of yours going to take?"

"Almost there now, Almost there." Beak replied never taking his eyes off the land in front of him.

"He's pretty handy to have around Dean." Jeanie said as she walked up alongside Sam, she was still holding Shawn's hand and Sam could see the embarrassed grin on the kid's face. "Maybe I should deputize him, he'd do a great job keeping people from becoming lost. Would you like that Beak, I could set up some kind of house for you. You could patrol the park keep everyone on the straight and narrow."

"Straight and narrow?" Beak asked with a question in his voice. "Straight and narrow is not the best way to go."

Jeanie laughed and said "we can work out the details later."

It had taken Dean, Jeanie and Sam close to two hours to get everyone out of the pool. Myrtle had been the trickiest due to her ankle. Shawn had been the easiest, as the sheriffs power had been crushed he'd found that he could move again. Slightly unsteady at first he'd quickly recovered.

They'd been about to hike back towards the jeep, when Beak had stepped forward and suggested following him instead. The promise of a shortcut had overcome any objections. Dean let out a sigh of relief as the ranger station and the Impala came into view.

Three hours later saw the missing reunited with family and safely escorted to the hospital. The state police and reporters had all cleared out and Sam and Dean finally felt it was okay for them to emerge from Jeanie's office.

"So, boys should I even ask who you really are? And why you hid in the office?" Jeanie leaned against the counter and sipped a cup of coffee.

Dean reached out and pounded Sam on the back, "he can explain everything. I've got places to be. Catch you later guys." And with that Dean slipped out the door and into the morning air.

Dean headed out, anxious to be on his way. Just as he reached the car, he saw Beak slip out from an old shed that sat next to the station. Dean approached the small creature and took a knee. "So, Beak are you going to be okay here?" Dean asked.

Beak nodded solemnly "I'll lead them to safety." Beak answered.

Dean nodded and patted the little guys back. "I have no doubt that you will Beak, take care and watch out for Jeanie."

Dean stood and headed for the car, at the last moment he looked back to see Beak, lit hand raised in a wave. Dean returned the gesture and climbed into the classic black car. Turning up the radio to an earsplitting roar, he grinned and gunned the car out of the drive.

Sam turned towards Jeanie smiling self-consciously. "How about grabbing a bite to eat and I'll fill you in."

Sam listened to the sound of the Impala as it exited the parking lot, even in here he could hear the stereo thumping. He had to grin at Dean's not so subtle ways.

Jeanie smiled and said, "you bet," She moved to grab her keys and let out a moan. "Shit," Turning she self-consciously smiled "Jeep's in the woods." She said.

Sam began laughing and found he couldn't stop.

"What, Sam, what's so funny we're trapped here you know. Call Dean and get him back." Jeanie reached out and lightly hit Sam in the chest.

Sam snaked his arms out and drew her close, his face still alight with laughter. "We're stuck Jeanie girl, Dean didn't forget about the Jeep. He ditched us. You want to find him; you better give Amber a call."

Jeanie felt her breath hitch, as Sam smiled down at her. "Well, we could hang around for a while, maybe he'll come back." Jeanie said as she leaned up and kissed the hunter softly.

Sam grinned and said "Yeah, maybe."

The End


End file.
